When You Let It
by Nynaeve1723
Summary: Bring on the LilyBaby fics, right? It's Lily having her baby in Jordanesque circumstances, but also a heavy dose of Jordan and Woody. Shippers, rejoice!
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. Thinking the coup isn't necessary any longer, but still ready, willing and able to stage one should the need arise.

A/N: Ummm...I got nothin'.

**When You Let It: Chapter One**

Jordan switched off the vacuum cleaner, wondering yet again how she'd been roped into this. Sure, it was just a small get-together – no one was using the words "baby" and "shower" in the same sentence – but it was still a party of sorts and it was still being held at her place. She'd tried every argument she could think of: Bug had finally stepped to the plate and was dating Lily, so they should use his place; Nigel had a flair for this sort of thing; Garret's place was bigger; if they surprised Lily with their little gathering at her place, she wouldn't have to worry about carrying things home with her.

Nothing had worked. Bug's place was too small. Nigel's place was too… Nigel. Garret's place was too masculine. And surprising Lily with a party at her place just wouldn't be right. No, Jordan, it has to be your place, they'd all insisted. So here she was. The Pearle Street apartment sparkled from top to bottom. Her refrigerator was crammed full of the makings of some weird 7-Up and sherbet punch, three types of dip, vegetables, chicken wings and who knows what else. Garret was bringing a few more chairs when he arrived and Woody was bringing a six-pack; God knew Jordan was going to need it. She hoped he would actually manage a twelve-pack – otherwise she might not share.

There was only one thing left to do. Another thing she could hardly believe they'd roped her in to doing. Jordan was taking Lily shopping and then bringing her back to Pearle Street, where their friends would be waiting to surprise the mother-to-be. How this differed wildly from surprising Lily in her own home was something no one could explain to Jordan, but since it had been proposed somewhere around the time of that 7-Up punch and the three kinds of dip, she'd thrown her hands up in surrender.

A knock at the door summoned her and, grabbing her purse, she made her way to the front. Nigel. Early, of course. Jordan let him in, glad she didn't have to leave the key under the mat. Then again, this was one day a break-in might not have bothered her; she'd have been able to dispense with this foolishness.

As she drove to pick up her very pregnant friend, the M.E. mused it wasn't that she was against showers – of the baby or bridal variety – as a general rule. She would have happily attended one for Lily, but "throwing" this sort of thing wasn't something she felt comfortable with. Not to mention that Lily had said more than once that, given the awkwardness of the whole situation, she didn't really want one. Everyone else kept saying she was protesting too much and besides _every_ new mom should have one. Jordan would have opted for buying half of Lily's wish list from the local baby shops, but no one would let her. So she was picking up Lily and they were going to get a couple more items for the layette – blankets, onesies, some other things Lily had mentioned and Jordan had pretended to know what she meant. Then it would be back to Pearle Street on some pretext that Jordan had yet to make up and… surprise!

Lily levered herself into the El Camino and thanked Jordan for agreeing to take her shopping. "I have everything. I know I do, but… oh, I probably don't! I'm not ready."

Jordan smiled weakly. "I bet every mom-to-be says that! I'm sure you're ready, Lil."

"I don't know," she sighed. "I'm never going to be ready. What was I thinking?"

The last left Jordan completely at a loss for words.

"Well, I mean, obviously, I wasn't exactly _thinking_. I mean, who _thinks_ during-"

"Lily? Um…no offense, but…."

The grief counselor blushed. "Sorry." She chuckled. "Too much information?"

"A little." Jordan shrugged and smiled. "So, what are we buying today?"

Lily's list and descriptions occupied them until they arrived at the department store that Lily had discovered carried all-natural, organic, probably holistic baby clothing, blankets and so on. They took the elevator to the third floor and Jordan trailed her pregnant friend as Lily made her selections.

Purchases complete, they made their way back to the elevator. "So… um… I hope you don't mind if we stop at my place on the way back," Jordan said, as casually as she could. "I have… something I wanted to –"

"You got suckered into hosting my baby shower?" Lily interrupted with a laugh.

"You _know_?"

"Please." She grinned. "All the whispers, the looks I've been getting, the way everyone has been so agreeable about _not_ throwing me a shower… it wasn't that hard to guess."

"Oh, jeez." Jordan groaned. "Will you pretend to be surprised? I mean, they'll think I told you and… what?"

Lily's face had paled. "I – I don't think I'm going to have to pretend!"

"Why not?"

Lily looked down.

Jordan's gaze followed hers – to the puddle of water. Their eyes met and locked.

"My water broke!"

Which was when – of course – the elevator jerked to a stop. Between floors.

END Part One


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. Thinking the coup isn't necessary any longer, but still ready, willing and able to stage one should the need arise.

A/N: Ummm...I got nothin'.

**When You Let It: Chapter Two**

"Jordan? The elevator didn't just – stop, did it?" Lily's voice shook.

"No. No, of course not," Jordan replied. "It – um – No. No. We're just moving… really slowly. Coming in for a- a smooth land…ing."

"Good. Right. Because, I mentioned my water broke, right?"

"Yeah. Noticed that."

"Okay. Because my water broke and that means we can't be stuck in the elevator because – because…."

"No, we can't be. You're right."

The intercom squawked. "Hello?" The tinny, disembodied voice did not inspire confidence.

Jordan and Lily exchanged glances. "Um…yeah, hi," Jordan responded.

"We're having a little problem with the elevator."

"No!" Lily all but shouted. "No, it's just moving really slowly."

The voice sounded confused. "Ma'am? I'm sorry, but it's not moving. It's… stuck."

"Okay, see, no!" Lily told the voice. "It can't be. My water just broke and that means….ooooofffffffff. Oh. GOD!"

"Contraction?" Jordan asked as Lily huffed, puffed and nodded. The M.E. turned to the intercom, feeling slightly stupid talking to a circular mesh panel, but also feeling slightly reassured for some silly reason. "You have to get us – get her – out of here. My friend is in labor. Got that? La-bor! Having a baby!"

There was a long pause. "We're working as fast as we can. Hang in there." Then the device fell silent.

"Hang in there?" Jordan asked uselessly. "Hang in there? Where do they expect us to go?"

Lily groaned again. "OHHHHHHHH! Jorrrrrrrrrdannnnnnnnnn!"

"Oh, God, sorry." She took Lily's hand. "Um… breathe. You did all those classes, right?"

Lily nodded. "But… being in… labor… in an el….OWWWWWWW….evator… wasn't some….Holy CRAP!!!!! Something that …. We…." She huffed rapidly. "Covered."

"Yeah, um, okay." Jordan shook her hands. "Well, tell me what you did cover?"

The laboring woman looked up. "WHY?"

"It – It might take your mind off-"

"Take my mind off… off what? The fact that….OUCH!!! I'm in… labor in an elevator and…DAMN!!! These contractions are…oh God… pretty close together?"

"Okay, I can see it would be hard to focus on anything else."

"Jordan?" Lily's voice was scared now.

"I'm right here, sweetie." She took her friend's hand and stroked her hair. "Why don't we get you sitting down or – or lying down? How would that be?"

"Jordan… I think – I think…AAARRRRGGHHHHHH!!!"

Jordan helped Lily to the floor and tried to soothe her. "Don't worry, Lil. They'll get us out of here. I mean, come on, most women are in labor for…what… hours?"

"Yeah. Well, I think I have been!"

Now Jordan went pale. "What?"

"I thought they were Braxton-Hicks! But – But I think…Ooooooooooo…. Jordan, you're going to have to-"

"No! Lily, no! I'm not – un-uh. You're not even going to say it."

Lily nodded furiously. "I'm going to say it. You're going to have to deliver this baby. You're a doctor."

"I work on dead people!"

"But you used to want to be a cardiac surgeon, right? Well, you must have done an o.b. rotation, right?"

"Do you know how long ago that was?" Jordan protested.

Lily tried to laugh. "Can't we just say it's like riding a bike? You never forget."

"We can _say_ that. Lily, come on…hang on. They'll have this thing going in no time. I'll call Garret – he – they – everyone - can meet us at the hospital. With your doctor."

Lily shook her head. "You can call… Garret – all of them…. But… I'm not going to make it … ohhhhhhh… to the hospital."

"All right, all right. But… Okay." Jordan pulled out her cell phone and called her home number. Nigel answered. "Hey, Nige. We kind of have a – a situation here."

She could hear him shush the others in the background. "You told her?"

"I did not tell her!" Jordan exhaled strongly.

"You told her."

"I did not tell her!"

"You told her!"

"I did not-"

Lily interrupted with a yell. "She didn't tell me!"

"Oh, okay. So what's the situation?"

Jordan took a deep breath. "Lily's in labor."

"Really? That's great!" She heard him tell everyone that Lily was having the baby.

"Not so great, Nige."

"Of course, it is. We'll meet you at the hospital."

"That's not going to happen." Jordan rushed on before he could interrupt again. "We're sort of… stuck in an elevator."

"You're… what?"

"We're stuck in an elevator."

"What?" Nigel iterated.

"We're stuck-"

"We're stuck in a damn elevator and I'm having the baby so get your asses over here!" came Lily's less-than-gracious shout. "Ohhhhhhhh…another one!!! Jordan, I think I can feel the head!"

"I gotta go, Nige," the M.E. told him. "I'm – uh – that is – I gotta go!"

Nigel stared at the phone which had gone to a dial tone after Jordan's sudden disconnect. "Oh, dear," was all he said.

END Part Two


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. Thinking the coup isn't really necessary any longer, but ready, willing and able to stage one should it become necessary.

A/N: (and I quote) I don't know nothin' about birthin' no babies!

**When You Let It: Chapter Three**

"Jorrrrrrdannnnnn!" Lily screeched. "Oh, my God. I've changed my mind!"

Jordan gave Lily a look. "A little late for that."

"No. No. I mean….urghgghghghg… about natural childbirth."

The M.E. raised one brow as she reached into Lily's shopping bag and pulled out the blankets they'd just bought. "Yeah? How's that?"

"I want DRUGS!" Lily grasped Jordan's t-shirt and pulled her close, her face tight with effort and anxiety. "Do you hear me?"

"Kinda hard not to, Lil," Jordan chuckled. "We've got a problem there though. You know?"

Lily glared at her. "But – But I want them!" Now she started crying.

Jordan, wildly out of her depth, rubbed circles on Lily's back and tried to calm her. "Okay, it's okay."

"It's not okay," she wailed. "Look at me! I finally figure out it's Bug I love, but I'm pregnant with Jeffrey's baby. And I'm having it in an elevator!"

"Hey, at least you know who the father is." The joke fell flat. "Right, sorry. Look, um, why don't you show me that breathing you learned, okay?"

After a moment's reflection, Lily nodded and began to huff and puff.

"Good, good," Jordan told her. "I'm going spread these blankets out and then I'm going to take a look. At. You." All of a sudden the prohibition about doctors treating family and close friends made more sense than it ever had. _It's okay, Jordan. She's just a – a patient. It's not like you're gonna be getting any thrills from looking – ugh – there._ _There are just some things you don't want to share even with good friends, though. _She grabbed a package of little undershirts from the shopping bag and ripped it open. She mopped her forehead with one and put the others aside, realizing Lily would need that soon. Another cry was torn from Lily's lips and Jordan realized she needed to put her squeamishness aside and do what needed to be done.

"Oh my God. Yeah, Lily, you're right. I can see the head." The sight of the crown of dark hair took away Jordan's breath and made her qualms disappear. The skills learned in that long-ago o.b. rotation popped into her mind as if they'd never left. Jordan's voice steadied as she told Lily what she needed her to do. Their gazes met and locked for a moment and finally, Lily smiled and nodded. "We can do this, Lily," Jordan promised.

"Yeah." The grief counselor's voice was soft, the anxiety blunted now. "We can."

Just after the next contraction, they could hear voices from the first floor. Lily actually managed to laugh as Garret's voice drifted up to them. He was haranguing the poor store manager, the elevator repair crew and anyone who didn't seem to consider fully the gravity of the situation.

"Hey, Garret!" Jordan yelled down. "Keep that up and the first thing this kid hears will be Mommy's boss telling some guy to pull his head out of his ass."

"Jordan? Jordan? You can hear us?" This from Bug. Worried.

"Astute, Bug. Very good! Yes, we're stuck between the first and second floors."

Lily looked at Jordan and murmured, "I think that's the worst of it – we were so close!"

The M.E. laughed and nodded.

"What? What was that?" Bug again. More worried.

"Laughing, Bug. We were laughing."

"About what?" The man was almost at critical mass!

Both women rolled their eyes.

"Oh, I don't know," Jordan shot back. "A scene on 'Earl' last week; this dirty joke Emmy told us… you know." She and Lily giggled to each other, before Jordan went on. "The whole situation, what do you think?!?"

"Well, stop it! Focus, Jordan! Focus!"

There was no reply from the elevator. They could Jordan's voice and Lily's groaning, but nothing else. Nigel and Woody had to hold up a sagging Bug. "Jordan?" He called up weakly. "Jordan?"

"Quiet, Bug!" she yelled back. "I'm focusing!"

"On what?"

Again there was no reply for what seemed like an eternity.

And then there was a lusty, protesting wail from a newborn infant none too pleased to find itself in this cold, bright world – with really bad instrumental renditions of popular music playing, to boot!

"On delivering this baby," Jordan finally called back, her voice softer, notes of awe running through it.

Outside the elevator, all four men sagged, blowing out in-held breaths.

In the elevator car, Jordan was handing Lily her daughter, laying the child carefully in her mother's arms, reminding Lily the cord was still attached. Lily nodded distractedly as she peered down at the little scrunched face, pink, almost angry and confused, a little tired. "I know the feeling, sweet pea," the new mother whispered.

Jordan hunkered next to them, cradling the baby's downy skull with her hand. "What are you gonna call her?"

"I hadn't decided. I thought maybe someone I admire, someone who put others first, who changed lives, who stuck to her principles, who is honest no matter what."

"I think 'Mother Theresa' is a bit much to hang on a baby, don't you?" Jordan asked with a smile, drawing one finger down the infant's satiny cheek.

"I thought maybe Susan Joan, for Susan B. Anthony and Joan of Arc."

The M.E. pursed her lips and nodded. "Well, that would fit the bill. Still a little tough to live up to, but…."

Lily looked back down at the dark head. "I've changed my mind."

"And?"

The new mom looked up. "Her middle name is going to be Amelia – for Amelia Earhart, a woman who let nothing stop her." She looked down again. "Her first name is going to be Jordan… for the woman who is all those things and more." Lily looked up.

Tears coursed down Jordan's cheeks. "I'm not, you know," she managed. "All those things."

Lily grasped one of her hands. "Yes, you are. And someday you're going to accept that."

Before Jordan could reply, the elevator gave a jerk, made a groaning noise as if it was trying to top Lily's recent efforts and hummed to life. The few feet it took to reach the first floor were traveled quickly. The doors opened to a team of EMTs with a stretcher, three male employees of the Boston Morgue and one of BPD's finest officers, and the very worried store manager. What ensued made Jordan Amelia's birth look rather calm by comparison. By the time all was settled, Bug was riding in the ambulance with Lily and the baby, Garret and Nigel were following, the store manager was sending Lily a lifetime supply of baby clothing and Woody was standing back, smirking lightly at Jordan, who leaned against the elevator's frame, forgotten – and happy to be forgotten.

"Nice going there, Doc." Woody ambled up to her. "Think you missed your calling?"

She rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. Too much pressure!" She grinned.

"Well, it's probably better when you're not stuck in a five feet by five feet box with no supplies."

"Probably," she conceded.

He slipped an arm around her waist and looked down at her. "So, you planning on hanging around the scene of your triumph or did you want to get out of here?"

"Oh," she breathed. "Out of here. _Please_!"

When they reached the El Camino, Jordan looked around, wondering where Woody's car was. "I rode with Dr. Macy," he explained. "I'll have to get my car from your place later."

XXXXX

When Jordan and Woody arrived at the hospital they found everyone in Lily's room. Her doctor had arrived and, upon being introduced to Jordan, insisted on shaking the M.E.'s hand. "You did a fine job, Dr. Cavanaugh. I couldn't have done better myself."

Jordan demurred, but the woman insisted.

After the doctor left, Lily gave the baby to the woman who had brought her into the world. Jordan looked down at the tiny bundle in her arms and realized she had been the one who made certain this creature, this little being, made it safely into this life. It took her breath away and made tears sting her eyes. She looked up at Lily, who mouthed, "Thank you." Jordan nodded and handed the baby back.

"I – uh – if you don't mind, Lil…. I mean, you've got that nice bed to rest in and people to look after you. I'm kind of tired."

Lily laughed. "Go home. Get some rest. Eat all that food."

The men glared at Jordan.

"Oh, come on, you guys," Lily chided. "You really think I didn't know? And whose idea was the 7-Up and sherbet punch. I hate that stuff!"

Jordan laughed the loudest.

XXXXX

"Mind if I come up?" Woody asked as Jordan parked at her place. "I sort of ran out without my jacket. And… there is that six pack."

"Oh, no," Jordan told him as they walked toward the elevator. "You can have your jacket back, Farm Boy. But that six pack is staying with me!"

His blue eyes twinkled. "I might be willing to share."

"You mean, _I_ might be willing to share." The elevator ascended.

"It is mine, Jordan."

"It's in my fridge."

"So?" he countered.

"Possession is nine-tenths of the law!"

Woody surrendered and asked, with mock humility, if he could still come retrieve his coat. She gave him a playful slap on the arm just as the doors opened. Bantering, they walked to her door. "I wonder what Nigel did with my extra key," she mused, as she fished in her purse for hers.

Woody gave her a mysterious look and withdrew a toothed metal object. "I think I know." He inserted the key smoothly in the lock and opened the door, standing back to let her in first, pocketing the key immediately.

"Can I have it back now?" She asked.

"Nope." His face was unreadable.

"No?"

"You heard me."

"Why not? It's _my_ key."

He shrugged. "But it's in _my_ pocket. And, I believe, as you so correctly pointed out, possession is nine-tenths of the law."

She rolled her eyes at him, but said nothing else. She left him standing there and went to get two beers. Returning she handed him one and they clinked the bottles together in an informal toast to the day's events. They settled on the couch, close but not touching. Woody took several long pulls from the bottle before saying anything. "So… Jordan Amelia, huh?"

Jordan nodded. "Normally, I'd have said the drugs clouded her mind, but… well… we didn't exactly have those."

"Nah," Woody told her. "She knows it's a good name, good way to start the kid off in life."

Jordan snorted. "I don't know about that." She put the bottle to her lips and tilted it back, letting the liquid wash down her throat.

"I know about it," he replied.

She looked over at him to find him assessing her with great seriousness. The last few months had been good ones, a lot like "old" times. They could joke, grab meals together, and spar over cases. She'd even conned him out of his coffee one morning in the usual fashion. That _something else_ that had always been there still was, but it had changed. Woody didn't seem to need to push her for _more_; Jordan didn't seem to need to run from him and the possibility of _more._ What she'd told Nigel was true – she and Woody had moved on.

End Part Three


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. Thinking the coup may no longer be necessary, but ready, willing and able to stage one should it become necessary.

A/N: Awwww...

**When You Let It: Chapter Four**

Jordan and Woody _had_ moved on.

Right back to each other.

He picked up the beer bottles and took them to the kitchen, returning with two fresh ones, which they drank in contemplative silence. "You ever think about it?" he asked after a long while.

"What?"

"Lily. The whole… baby thing."

"Oh…that." She made one of those faces that was uniquely Jordan. Then she nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I have."

He motioned for her to go on.

She sighed. "Couple years ago…longer than that, I guess… there was this little girl. Emily Logan. Parents were… well, read the case file. I – I thought about – about seeing if I could keep her. I mean… not seriously. I'd pretty much just moved back here, wasn't… all that stable, you know?"

"You?" Woody flicked up his brows. "Hard to imagine."

She gave him the enigmatic smile that made his heart race. "I wanted to." She shook her head, took another swallow of beer and went on. "Probably just… biology."

"That's the only time?"

She looked over at him, her mouth set. "Well, last year. Kayla. But – that was different."

"Have you ever thought about _having_ one, Jordan?"

"Woody-"

"I'm serious. And I don't mean when you were seven and playing with dolls."

She snorted. "I never really played with dolls, but…okay, yeah, I guess. Does being late count?" She gave him a wicked grin.

"Late for… oh." He reared his head back. "Really?"

"Why not, Woody?"

"Well, you're a doctor and…you know."

"I'm also human."

"Oh." He nodded. "But… it wasn't…? And it was probably a while ago."

She scooted back a bit, to study him, watch him as he squirmed. This was not where he'd planned on taking this conversation, she'd be willing to bet. She did so love hijacking him like this. "Last year," she informed him coolly.

"Last… year?" He gulped.

She nodded, her eyes wide and innocent, dancing with merriment, letting him twist just a bit longer; if _when last year?_ had been tattooed across his forehead it would have been more obvious, but not by much. "Right after New Year's. Big party and all…Pollack and I got … a little carried away."

She watched the wheels in his mind go around, slowly at first and then the little mental hamster must have sped up because it all clicked into place for him and he breathed a sigh of what could only be relief. She hid –or tried to hide – her wide grin behind the beer bottle.

Woody looked at her, his eyes narrowing. After a moment, he shook his head. "You did that on purpose!"

"Of course, I did!" She leaned back toward him. "You walked right into it."

"So…none of that… happened?"

Her lips twitched up. "No… that big party happened. And… but, no… false alarm."

He watched the spasm flit across her face, wondering if she even knew it gave her away. That brief flash of pain and grief in her eyes, the minute tightening in her jaw muscles and the sharp intake of breath, held just a little longer than usual. He nodded slowly. "So you thought about it then."

"Yeah," she murmured. There was still a plastic rattle in her underwear drawer. Pollack had bought it before the blood test results had come back. The fact the possibility hadn't freaked him out had let her ponder it without freaking out herself. When the results came back, they'd both declared it a huge relief, but- but had it been? No doubt it had been for the best – they'd never have made it as a couple, but a relief? She wasn't so sure now.

Woody reached for her hand and wrapped his fingers around hers. He smiled at her.

"What?"

Now he shook his head lightly. "Nothing."

"No, that looks means something."

"Just thinking." He squeezed her fingers. "The Jordan Cavanaugh I met five years ago would have – have-"

"Freaked," she finished for him, smiling.

"I was going for 'wigged,' but, okay." He grinned. "You've changed a lot, Jordan."

She shrugged. "You're hardly the same naïve Farm Boy I thought would be eaten alive by the big city." Slowly, she rested her head on his shoulder.

Idly, he drew his hand through her long hair. He looked down at her; her eyes were closed, her face relaxed. He smiled. "Some things haven't changed."

"Like what?" She asked, her eyes still closed, smothering a yawn now.

"You're still the hottest M.E. I know."

Her eyes snapped open and her body tensed for a moment. Then she gave him a lazy grin. "Don't tell Garret. He'll be devastated."

Woody laughed, his arm tightening around Jordan. "I'm serious, you know."

She shook her head. "And you still have awful taste in neckwear," she teased gently.

He continued to play with her hair, curling one long lock around his fingers and then releasing it, watching it spring back and fall against her shoulder. He watched her for what seemed like a long time, enjoying the quiet, intimate moment. "Were you disappointed? When… you… weren't?" he asked finally.

She gave his hand – the one still holding hers – a gentle squeeze. "Yeah. A little," she answered. "I mean… it was probably good. Pollack and – it wouldn't have worked. But… yeah." She sighed. "So what about you?"

"What about me?" he evaded.

"Have you ever thought about it?"

He looked down, his blue eyes dark, veiled. "Me? Uh, Jordan, if you hadn't noticed, I'm not – uh – equipped to have a baby."

She thumped his chest. "You know what I mean." He remained silent. "Come on, Woody. I told you."

"Oh, so it's 'show me yours and I'll show you mine' time?"

She snorted. "You wish!" She pinned him to where he sat with her whiskey gaze.

He took a breath. "All right. Yeah. I've thought about it." His hand in her hair stilled. "I – um – I worried a little actually. After – After… that night. I mean, I didn't know if you were – taking anything and… we didn't exactly stop to…."

"No, we didn't," she replied softly. "So you _worried_?"

He lifted one shoulder. "The way… everything happened. You. Me. Pollack. Lu. It was messed up."

"That's an understatement," she said wryly.

"I guess I just always thought it would be a little less complicated, a lot more traditional."

"Is there going to be something about a picket fence, minivan and Golden Retriever?" she grinned at him.

"Well, no." He shook his head. "Okay, yes. At least… sort of."

"What? A Suburban and a Black Lab, instead?"

"Jordan…." He growled. "I don't know – I – I figured you find the right girl, get married, have a kid or two."

She looked down. "Not 'find the right girl, tap dance around each other for three years, screw things up so badly it doesn't matter?'"

He reached down and tilted up her chin. "Do you really think that? That it's screwed up so badly it doesn't matter?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." Her eyes darkened. "Isn't it?"

Woody studied her for a long moment, long enough to make her squirm. She pulled her hand away from his, disappointed and saddened when he didn't stop her.

She need not have been either.

The moment his hand was free Woody used it to snake around the back of her head and draw her mouth to his. The kiss that followed was slow and delicious. His lips coaxed hers open and their tongues darted softly against each other. He pulled away from her gently, keeping his hand at the back of her head, the fingers now tangled in the dark curls. "No," he said, his voice husky with desire.

"No?" Even the single syllable sounded languid, drugged.

"It's not screwed up so badly it doesn't matter, Jordan." His lips found hers again, a brief, teasing pressure. "It will always matter. _You _will always matter to me." He smiled at her. "This is supposed to be where you tell me I'll always matter to you."

She swallowed pas the lump in her throat. "Can I just show you?"

He chuckled. "So there is going to a little 'show me yours and I'll show you mine' after all?"

The punch she delivered to his shoulder was playful and mostly gentle. When he'd stopped whining about it, she reminded him, "We've done this before."

"Yeah." He twirled a lock of hair. "Things were… different. You'd grown up a lot." He gave her a half smile. "I hadn't."

"Woody, about that-"

"Don't say it, Jordan. You were right. You were trying to do the right thing with Pollack and I – I – I didn't like it. Then I ran – ran off after Lu and didn't have the guts to tell you. I kind of… I made everything about me. Until Pollack was killed and Lu died."

She nodded slowly.

He captured her head in both hands. "I want it to be all about _us_ from now on, Jordan."

She nodded again. "Are you sure?"

He grinned. "No more reporters, no more shrinks, no more tap dancing around each other. You. Me. And whatever comes next."

She kissed him in response, sliding over to straddle him and letting her hands begin to wander beneath his shirt. As she drew away from him, she murmured in his ear, "I don't like dogs."

A bit breathlessly he replied, "We'll get a cat."

Her throaty laughter was soon lost in another kiss and much more.

END


End file.
